


Cut Your Teeth

by Blondjjong



Category: EXO (Band), SHINee
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-24
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2019-03-23 08:26:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13783617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blondjjong/pseuds/Blondjjong
Summary: Taemin is nesting. Taemin is also in denial that he is nesting and Jongin is very weak.





	Cut Your Teeth

The first thing Jongin notices when he walks into the apartment that evening is the complete lack of cushions on the couch. It’s been stripped bare of throw pillows and sitting cushions alike, as has the armchair in the corner. There's a distinct lack of blankets around the room as well, and it's once he’s toed off his shoes and taken a few steps further in that Jongin notices how even the dog beds are missing. Adam, one of Taemin’s pups is looking at him rather dejectedly from his place curled up on the spring frame of their couch, and Jongin pauses to give him a consolidating pat on the head. He’s got a sneaking suspicion what this is about.  
  
A trip down the hallway to their bedrooms stops only long enough for Jongin to drop his things on the floor of his room, noting very quickly not only lack of pillows and blankets in his room, but the complete lack of his bed mattress altogether. He’s rubbing a large hand over his forehead then, fingers running through his hair before turning to pad his way down to the end of the hallway. Sure enough Jongin is met with the sight of his double mattress, sheets still on it, shoved almost all the way through Taemin’s bedroom door, clearly lodged in the doorframe. Jongin can’t help the sigh that escapes him in one quick exhale, because this is exactly why Taemin doesn’t have a double bed.  
  
“Taemin-ah?” Jongin sounds a little bit exasperated already and Taemin’s head pops out from behind the mattress, his black hair a fluff of a mess as wide brown eyes peek over the top of it at Jongin.  
  
“I can explain.” Jongin’s eyebrows raise near to his hairline and Taemin quickly follow up with: “Okay maybe I can’t.” He disappears again, the only sign that Jongin’s best friend is still there is the wiggling of the mattress as Taemin tries to un-wedge it from the doorframe.  
  
“Taem-ah,” The wiggling ceases for a moment and Jongin knows he’s got the older’s attention. “It's gotta come out.”

Theres a string of whining that Jongin can’t quite make out before the mattress is being shoved back into the hallway. It takes some effort, and nearly knocks Jongin down in the process when the mattress dislodges from the doorframe, promptly falling heavily to the floor, catching halfway between the floor and the wall, near filling the hallway up. Jongin just stands there a moment, looking from the mattress to his best friend stood in the doorway of his room, appearance a little bit ridiculous in red and white polka dot boxers, and one of Jongin’s sizes too large hoodies. Taemin huffs before disappearing back into his room prompting Jongin to take unsteady steps across the mattress, following him in.  
  
Sure enough, as he’d suspected Taemin’s bed and the area surrounding it is covered with the house’s supply of pillows and blankets. Three of the five dogs they collectively keep are curled up in the sheets piled on Taemin’s single bed. Taemin himself was occupied with shoving at one of the couch cushions lodged against the wall near the end of the bed frame, trying to get the state of his bed to a more comfortable, and acceptable state. Taemin was nesting. There was no real debating that.  
  
“Taemin…” Jongins not really sure how to broach the topic, even standing here watching the near frantic nature of the scene unfolding in front of him. This was a bit of a sore spot with his best friend, and Jongin was more than aware of that.

“What?” The word comes out a bit of a snip and it has Jongin raising his hands, palm face out in the lightest show of submission. He really wasn’t in this for a fight and the look Taemin had shot him was anything but unguarded.  
  
“I just...my mattress, really?” Jongins shoving his hands back into his jean pockets then, eyebrows raised ever so slightly. Taemin flops down onto the bed with a slight bounce, reaching out for the ever compliant Jjanggu, pulling the pup to settle in his lap.  
  
“Well, they couldn’t all fit on mine Jongin. I needed more space.” Taemin’s words turn to a bit of a whine, expression shifting from one of annoyance to something a bit more pleading.  
  
“Ok but, I kind of need that Taeminnie...to sleep on.” There's another small huff from Taemin and now Jongin knows he’s being ignored, his best friend’s attention turned in full to the dog in his lap. “Help me move it back, please?” Jongin tries a softer tone this time, taking pity on Taemin, knowing full well this was just his instinct taking over.

Taemin had been fighting hard against the signs ever since they’d started to show nearly three months ago, but it was steadily getting harder to deny. Their friendship group was built of a steady stock of alphas and betas so it was only natural Taemin had presumed he’d be one along with the rest of them. Though Jongin himself couldn’t help but find a bit of logic to the omega nature that was coming to a head in Taemin, with the little bit of ethereal softness he’d always carried in his more slender frame, and the whole ‘I’m just a late bloomer’ excuse he’d used for years as the rest of them had showed their classification, Taemin’s having remained a mystery.  
  
Jongin himself didn’t see the issue in Taemin’s apparent omega class, not really. Not the way Taemin did at least. Taemin could keep up with the rest of them just fine, presenting omega wasn’t about to change that, Jongin was sure. Their pack was a tight one, a strong one with the excess of alphas, and Taemin would be protected without question regardless of class, or physical stature. That wasn’t really the issue though, Jongin knew that much because, as far as Taemin was taking this it was a hit on his masculinity more than anything else. Ridiculous really but then Jongin had always been a bit more forwards thinking than most. On top of it though he’d presented alpha years ago, so maybe there wasn’t room for him to judge. He full well knew he didn’t have to deal with the stigmas Taemin was certain, and at times already was, to have to fight back against.  
  
Suddenly Taemin’s face lights up, eyes turning onto Jongin where he still lingered just past the doorway of the bedroom. There was trouble in that look, all sunshine and wide eyes pinning the younger right where he stood.  
  
“There’s space in your room!” Jongin’s face drops as soon as the words leave Taemin’s mouth because he knows where this is going. Much as is expected Taemin is near dumping Jjanggu from his lap and scooping up and armful of pillows. He near trips as he rushes across the room to shove them in Jongin’s arms turning to go back for more of his own.

It’s nearly an hour later, with two mattresses shoved into the tiny hole that is Jongin’s room, five dogs doing far from their best to get along piled onto the makeshift bed, and one Taemin draped over him and flitting through titles on netflix, while he chatters on about Mavel versus DC, it dawns on Jongin that he’s possibly the only one who's really screwed here. He’s already under constant scrutiny from their friends for ‘being too soft to be an alpha’, his large frame and natural intimidating aura doing little to offset the gentle nature that was just so naturally his state of being. If the quick take over of his room for the nest Taemin was insistently building despite his vehement denial wasn’t a sure sign of this, then the fact that he was walking up the street to get Taemin an excessive amount of food two hours later, was likely the nail on his coffin. Jongin had always been a bit weak for his best friend and adding instinct to the mix was doing nothing to help that. Taemin might be omega but Jongin, certainly, was the one in trouble.


End file.
